The Dreaded Truth
by Wizgirl122233
Summary: Chloe sees a ghost while exploring a safe house. After talking to her, her and Derek decide that they need to tell her Aunt that they are dating and she can't stop it.


**Disclaimer: I do not (though I wish I did, it's an awesome series) own the Darkest Powers series.**

I wandered through the house, trying to distract myself from the fact me and my friends and my boyfriend (I couldn't get used to saying that) we're super naturals on the run from a top secret organization that wants to "rehabilitate" us. The safe house we're hiding in is nothing short of a mansion. The kitchen and dining room combined were as big as my dad's apartment in Buffalo.

I was exploring the many rooms on the second floor, trying not to think of why I was there in the first place. I found a room that had a fireplace. On the mantle there were some pictures from a past life. They were even black and white. There was a silhouette of a teenage girl, she was smiling at the camera as if the camera just told her a joke. Another picture showed her smiling up at a man who looked just like her, so I'm guessing it was her father.

That picture made me sad, reminding me of my own father. I remembered when we had a similar day, where we went to a photo booth. With a tear in my eye, I looked at the one beside it. This time, the girl was standing beside a handsome young man. Another photo right beside it showed them smiling at each other. Again, the girl's smile stretched from ear to ear, but it was a different smile. It wasn't exactly a happy smile, more like ecstatic.

"Those pictures are from the happiest time in my life, before I was killed." A soft voice said from behind me, making me jump a little. I turned around to see a ghost materialize. It was the girl from the photos, except she was a little older. Usually, ghosts want something from me, or want to hurt me, so I tensed. I was preparing to call for Derek, my boyfriend, when she spoke again.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to talk. I've seen you with your friends for a while. I just want to give you advice. My name is Jacqueline." She whispered, as if trying not to frighten me.

"Okay, I'll listen." I said after some hesitation. She smiled sweetly, starting her story.

"I came from a rich catholic family, and I grew up in this house. I was an only child, and my parents loved me with all their hearts. Even though I got everything I wanted, my aunt made sure I always knew what it was like for the less fortunate. And I love her for it." She pointed to a picture of herself and an older woman. They were both smiling as if they shared a secret.

"We volunteered at food shelters and donated money to causes that needed it. I met him, my beloved Thomas, at a shelter once. He was on the other side, getting food for his younger brother. I took one look at him, and knew he wasn't like anyone I'd ever met before. His eyes were sharp green, and seemed to hold more knowledge than he looked like he knew. Much like your werewolf. We were so in love, but my father didn't approve. Since my mother was killed by a mugger who stole her money, my father hated the less fortunate. Every time he looked at Thomas, he saw something that Thomas was normally associated with. It made me upset, knowing I couldn't be with my love because my father didn't bother to get to know him." Jacqueline sniffled a little, remembering.

I thought about my situation. My aunt hating my boyfriend because of something his kind does.

"So me and Thomas ran away. We found his brother and left town, surviving off of love and a trust fund in my name. We made a living for ourselves, just barely. We ran every time my father came close to finding us. He even hired an investigation team that searched for us. It was the hardest time in my life, but also one of the best. I never knew what it was like to live like a poor person, not getting anything I wanted. I managed, and Thomas and his brother helped. They showed me the upsides and more than helped when I needed it. Eventually, being on the run changed me. I wasn't the same girl that ran away in the first place, but Thomas loved me even more. My life would never be the same, and I was okay with that." She smiled, and I saw the difference from the girl in those pictures. She was definitely different now.

"Eventually my father caught us, claiming Thomas kidnapped me. He never listened to me, I begged him to set Thomas free. He never did, saying he was to be sentenced to death for kidnapping and holding me hostage. The thought made me sick, and I knew I had to stop it." She looked devastated. She continued, a little quieter, as if hiding the pain.

"That night, I packed my bag and escaped out my window. I found Thomas's brother, and told him of my plan to get Thomas out of jail. He agreed, and we left to the jail house. Our plan went perfectly, until we got to the end. It was dark, and Thomas insisted I go first. The guards didn't know it was me… They shot me down, and killed Thomas when he tried to get me out. I bled to death shortly after." Jacqueline's expression was unreadable, though I could tell it was just a way to mask the pain. I've done that before, I know exactly what she went through, except I haven't got to the end of my story yet.

"The point of my story is, don't keep your love a secret. It will cost you and you're beloved more than you could possibly imagine." And with that, Jacqueline left me with more on my mind than I thought was humanly possible. As if on cue, Derek came trudging in.

"Chloe, we need to…" He trailed off when he saw my face. "Another ghost? What did it do to you? Where is it?" He responded without waiting for me to answer, suddenly the protective werewolf I knew so well.

"Derek, everything's fine. She didn't do anything to me. Honestly, she just talked."

"Then why are you crying?" I didn't even realize there were tears sliding down my face.

"N-Nothing, I-I-I just have something in my eye." I managed to get out. He snorted.

"Yeah, right. Chloe, what did the ghost tell you." He practically growled.

"S-She just told me how she died." I said. He knew I had more to say though.

"She died saving her fiancé from dying, but in the process they were both killed. He was going to die in the first place because they couldn't tell her father how they felt about each other." I managed to sob out.

For once, Derek was speechless. His mouth moved, but he didn't say anything. He pulled me to him, hugging me and rubbing my back while I cried into his shirt. After a while, he finally said something.

"We need to talk to your aunt. I can't stand this either, it's like she's killing me without touching me." I knew that talking about how he feels, so I knew something was up. I pulled back, and looked into his eyes. They glinted dangerously, and I knew I had to tread lightly.

"Derek, calm down. You know we can't do that. We'll be fine, and we can't burden her right now." I tried to speak rationally, when I knew it was almost hopeless. He was already to the point where almost nothing could bring him back.

"Derek, calm down. Seriously, there's nothing we can do. Think, we'll talk to her in the morning, not right now. We just have to think this through. Come on, Derek." I pleaded with him. I sighed with relief when I saw his eyes return to normal.

"Alright, you're right. We'll talk to your aunt in the morning."

"Aunt Lauren, we need to talk to you." I said shakily, managing to keep the stutter out of my voice. I practiced this speech in front of the mirror five times today, hoping to avoid my embarrassing stress-o-meter. So far, it's working.

"Yes, honey?" My aunt looked up at me from the potatoes she was peeling for breakfast.

"Derek and I want to be able to date each other. Without you preventing us."

"Honey, I told you, I don't want you to date him. Hes…"

"Yeah, I know. He's too dangerous." Suddenly, speak of the devil, Derek materialized at my side. My aunt jumped.

"Derek!"

"I told you to wait upstairs." I whispered at a level that only Derek could hear.

"Lauren, we can't do this anymore. It's killing us to have to hide our relationship from you." Derek stated bluntly, ignoring my comment. My aunt stared at him, trying to understand.

"Chloe…" My aunt turned to me angrily.

"A-a-aunt L-l-l-lau-ren, let me explain." I took a deep breath and tried to calm my annoying stutter. It worked, barely. "Derek isn't who you think he is. He saved me Simon and Tori without any thought for his own safety. I was there the first time he Changed, and he didn't attack me. He's not the incontrollable werewolf you think he is. And honestly, I hate it when everyone thinks I'm clueless for even talking to him." Aunt Lauren looked like she wanted to argue, but didn't.

I looked up at Derek, who was looking down at me. His bangs were pushed to the side, and I could see his sharp green eyes. They were anything but sharp as he looked at me though, and I realized I never said anything like that to him before. No one really had. Even more, I said it to my aunt, the one person who didn't want us to be together. I didn't know how much time had passed, and we probably would have stayed that way for a while, except for the fact Aunt Lauren cleared her throat. I looked back at her, and saw that her expression was unreadable.

"A-a-aunt L-lauren-"

"I don't want to hear it Chloe." She interrupted, and her voice was just as blank as her expression. "Derek, please go upstairs, I need to talk to Chloe alone."

Derek looked down at me, and I nodded. With one more glance at my aunt, he left the room. I watched him leave, and lanced back at my aunt. I kinda jumped, her expression was so broken.

"Aunt Lauren…"

"I'm fine Chloe, it just hurt to see you to look at each other like that. I haven't seen anyone look at someone like that since your mom met your dad." She sniffed a little and wiped a tear off her cheek. "You two looked like there was no one else but you… I realized, I can't protect you from him. You don't need it, and I can't stop you. I still don't like it, but you can date Derek." Inside, I was jumping for joy. Outside, I was confused. I stared at my aunt, crying like everything was falling on top of her and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. I did the natural thing, I walked forward and hugged her.

I looked up at her surprised face and smiled. "Aunt Lauren, I'm sorry. I still love you, but I just can't live without Derek. He's my voice of reason, and my heart. Both of you are my heart. You don't need to protect me anymore. I need to live my own life now. I'll always love you, just don't think I can't think for myself."

My aunt looked down at me and smiled through my tears, and I knew I would always be that little girl that spilled a slushee in the back seat of her car.

"I can't believe how much you've grown. I love you, don't you ever forget that. I just don't like having to share you." She smiled even more and hugged me, stroking my hair.

For the first time in a long time, I felt truly happy. I had my aunt, and now my boyfriend. For at least a little while, I was safe. I couldn't ask for anything more.


End file.
